October 5, 2025

 OT XXVII [C] (Oct 5) Hb 1:2-3; 2:2-4; II Tm 1:6-8, 13-14; Lk 17:5-10

All three readings for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time speak

about Faith and how it works in our lives. “To one who has Faith,

no explanation is necessary. To one without Faith, no explanation

is possible.” (St. Thomas Aquinas). It is this Faith that serves as

the nucleus of our readings today, showing us three dimensions

of Faith.



1) The theological virtue of Faith enables us to believe something

to be true, and therefore worthy of trust, simply because it has

been revealed to us by God.

2) In his instructions to Timothy, Paul, who elsewhere defines

Faith as, “the assurance of the things hoped for” (Heb 11:1),

shows Faith operating as a believing, trusting, loving relationship

with Christ.

3) Finally, Christian Faith is that trusting Faith in God in action,

expressed by steadfast loyalty, fidelity, and total commitment to

Him, resulting in our offering ourselves to Him in those we

encounter, through our humble, loving service.

 All the fresh water you could ever need: A man was lost in the

desert and was near death for lack of water. Soon he came

across a pump with a bucket hung on the handle and a note. The

note read as follows: “Below, you will find all the fresh water you

could ever need, and the bucket contains exactly enough water to

fill the pump to start it working.”– It takes GREAT FAITH to pour

out the whole content of the bucket for a promise of unlimited

water. What would we do? Jesus demands such a Faith.

 1) We need to thank God for everything, giving

Him the credit for our well-being. Most of us are

inclined to forget God’s providence when our earthly

affairs are going well. We pray to Him only when

trouble strikes. In His Infinite Goodness, God often

answers such prayers. Stronger Faith enables us to

accept the adversities and the trials of life asking

God, “Increase our Faith, Lord!” at all times. 

2) We need to increase our Faith by becoming

dutiful servants of God. We grow in Faith as we

act in Faith. A sincere Christian can find many ways

to help to make Christ known to his neighbor. A quiet

word, a charitable gesture, an unselfish interest in a

neighbor’s troubles can do more good than a series

of sermons given by some renowned theologian.

3) We need to grow in Faith by using the means

Christ has given us in his Church. We must

cultivate our Faith through prayer, Bible study,

participation in the Holy Mass (‘the mystery of

Faith”) and leading a well-disciplined spiritual life.

September 28, 2025

 OT XXVI [C] (Sept 28)): Am 6:1a, 4-7; 1Tm 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31

The main theme of this Sunday’s readings is the warning that the selfish

and extravagant use of God’s blessings, like wealth, without sharing them

with the poor and the needy is a serious sin deserving eternal punishment.

Today’s readings stress the Covenant responsibility of the rich for the poor,

reminding us of the truth that wealth without active mercy for the poor is

great wickedness. They also warn us against making money the goal of our

existence.

 In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a warning, pointing to the destiny of the

rich man who neglected his duty to show mercy to poor Lazarus. The rich

man was punished, not for having riches, but for neglecting the Scriptures

and what they taught on sharing his blessings with the poor

1) We are all rich enough to share our blessings with others. God has

blessed each one of us with wealth or health or special talents or social

power or political influence or a combination of many blessings. The

parable invites us to share what we have been given with others in various

ways instead of using everything exclusively for selfish gains.

2) We need to remember that sharing is the criterion of Last Judgment:

Mattthew (25:31ff) tells us that all six questions to be asked of each one of

us by Jesus when He comes in glory as our judge are based on how well or

poorly we have shared the blessings we have received from Him (food,

drink, home, mercy and compassion), with our brothers and sisters —

anyone in need — for Jesus identifies himself with each of them.

3) The rich man was condemned for not treating Lazarus as his brother.

We also will be condemned for our selfishness if we do not treat the

preborn as our brothers and sisters.

4) Our choices here determine the kind of eternity we will have. It has been

put this way: “Where we go hereafter depends on what we ‘go after,’

here!” Where we will arrive depends on what road we travel. We will get

what we choose and what we live for. We are shaping our moral character

to fit forever in one of two places.

September 21, 2025

OT XXV [C] (Sept 21): Am 8:4-7; I Tm 2:1-8; Lk 16:1-13 

Today’s readings remind us that we are God’s stewards, and that God

expects faithful and prudent stewardship from us. They challenge us to

use our God-given talents and blessings, like wealth, wisely to attain

Heavenly bliss.

Today’s Gospel story tells us about the crooked, but resourceful, estate

manager and challenges us to use our blessings — time, talents, health

and wealth – wisely and justly so that they will serve us well in eternity. We

use our earthly wealth wisely when we spend it for our own needs in

moderation and when we love and help the needy around us, because

these are the purposes for which God has entrusted His blessings to us

1) We need to be faithful in the little things of life: Let us remember

Saint John Chrysostom’s warning, “Faithfulness in little things is a big

thing,” and the reminder of St. Theresa of Calcutta “Do little things

with great love.” Hence, let us not ignore doing little things, like

acknowledging a favor with a sincere “thank you,” congratulating

others for their success, sharing in their sorrows, and/or offering them

help and support in their needs.

2) We need to be prepared to give an account of our stewardship. We

insure our houses against fire, storms, flood, and thieves, just as we insure

our lives, buying life insurance, health insurance, and car insurance. In the

same way, let us “insure” ourselves (with God, not Prudential!) for the one

thing that most certainly will happen, namely, our meeting God to give Him

an account of our lives. What really matters, at the time of our Private

Judgment by God at the moment of our death, is how wisely we have used

our blessings during our life, lovingly and generously sharing